6A South State Preview: Gulfport vs. Oak Grove

The last three times the Gulfport baseball team has met Oak Grove in the class 6A playoffs, the latter has prevented the former from advancing to South State. Good thing for the Admirals, this year, they’re already in South State.
So are the Warriors, setting the stage for Gulfport’s first appearance in the South State playoffs in more than a decade. Even before the days of Jonathan Holder and Hurricane Katrina, 2005 was the last time the Admirals got to this point.
That’s a lot of history riding on this year’s bunch, but it doesn’t seem to be much of a burden for a team that’s only lost three games all year. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Gulfport second baseman Castor Lee said, “It’s a big accomplishment to us. We try not to think about it, we try to just go out and have fun and play hard every game. We put it in the back of our minds and after each win, we think about how we can keep going.”
Gulfport third baseman Blake Johnson said, “Coach Mac always says use the upper hand and we’re kind of the feared team in the state, so use it to your advantage. Make it 4-0 when they step off the bus, so that’s kind of what we’re trying to do, and I think we’re doing a decent job at it.”
Gulfport Baseball Head Coach Jamie McMahon said, “It is 3-0. I played at Oak Grove, and that’s what I tell our guys all the time. When we came off the bus it was 4-0 and the game hadn’t even started. So we kind of, you want to play with that swagger a little bit and that confidence a little bit that when you do step out here you do get the best effort from the other team, but you are a team that they’re coming at.”
According to Coach Mac, the Admirals will avoid facing Oak Grove pitcher Drew Boyd, who has signed to play college baseball at Southern Miss. He’s limited to playing first base with a torn UCL.
The series gets going tomorrow at 7 p.m. from Gulfport.
A little bit earlier in the evening, Resurrection Catholic will be doing the same with first pitch for game one of 1A South State set for 6 p.m. in Pascagoula.
Pearl River is still in the hunt as well, visiting Hattiesburg tomorrow night for a 7 p.m. game one. That’s a rematch of 5A South State from last year.
As for high school softball, Harrison Central is holding it down for class 6A for the fourth year in a row. The Red Rebelettes get Tupelo with game one set for 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. That’s right after Picayune starts its bid for its first ever state title versus Neshoba Central at 11 a.m. All championship games will be played at Freedom Ridge Park up in Ridgeland.